Small Home Big Style: Camille’s Bay Area Cottage

Hi Everyone!  Happy Friyay friends!  Today Im back with another Small Home Big Style feature and Im so excited!

Ive been blogger friends with Camille for YEARS.  Her small home story was actually a huge inspiration for me wanting to downsize.  I’d been following her blog as she shared her life in her little house and I just fell in love. In fact, when we found out our offer on our house was accepted I immediately reached out to her and exclaimed about how I finally found the perfect little bungalow! I sent her the MLS pictures and we chatted about all the things I had dreamed up for this house. We still send each other messages and forward each other pictures of cute little cottage kitchens or cool small space living ideas.  I’m so so honored to have Camille here today sharing how she lives and loves in her small home.

Where/What city do you live in?

I live in Albany, California. A little town carved out of the side of Berkeley in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Who do you share your home with?

Four of us live in this little 1920s Spanish Bungalow.  My husband, twin 9 year old daughters, and me.

Do you own or rent?

We are grateful to own.  We got in just before the market went crazy.  The Bay Area has grown by leaps and bounds, and there’s a big shortage of housing these days.

How many sq ft is your home?

1012 square feet.  Those 12 are important!

What do you love most about living in a small home?

Honestly? Cleaning!

What challenges have you faced?

Well, there’s the one tiny bathroom.  I got a tip early on to teach my girls that the bathroom is for potty and washing only.  No primping!  That gets done in the bedrooms, of which there are two.  I’m praying this makes a difference when we hit the teen years.

Any unique storage solutions?

I’ve hung bars with sliding hooks (from IKEA) on the backs of every door in the house.

What’s your favorite room in your home and why?

I love the dining room for its natural light and built-in china cabinet with glass doors.  The rounded Spanish-style niche above it reminds me of New Mexico, where I was raised.

Which space has been the biggest headache! You know, the one that’s been the most challenging to work with?

Our kitchen is vintage and we aren’t in the market for a remodel anytime soon.  So the portable dishwasher is topped with butcher block and acts as an island for much needed counter space.

I built a simple breakfast bar across one of the windows so that my kids have a place to eat and do homework while I cook dinner.

I hung the pots and pans on the wall because there was no other place to put them.

If you could do it all over again, would you still choose to live small?

Absolutely!  I’ve always loved small, cozy spaces.  (I’m currently dreaming  about some of these cool van conversions I keep seeing on Instagram.) My husband and I joke that this house will be just the right size in nine more years…when our daughters leave home.

Best piece of small space living advice?

Tapping into other’s creative solutions for small space living goes a long way.  The tiny house movement has given me so many ideas.

But the best piece of advice I can give is to keep your shit put away!

Amen to keeping your shit put away! Its the cheapest, easiest thing you can do to make small space living sane.  Thank you so much again for letting me share your home Camille.

Posted By: Shavonda Gardner · In: features, small space living